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Council approves $20,000 for Belknap Mill from insurance rebate, ties payment to fundraising
Summary
After a public hearing, the Laconia City Council approved Resolution 2026-03 to accept an $86,316 health-insurance rebate, allocating $20,000 to the Belknap Mill for urgent structural repairs; the council amended the payment to be conditional on the mill meeting its fundraising goals and approved the rest to the Health Insurance Stabilization Reserve.
The Laconia City Council on March 9 approved Resolution 2026-03 to accept an $86,316 rebate from the city's former health insurance provider and to allocate $20,000 of that amount to the Belknap Mill for building repairs. Councilors voted 5-1 to approve the resolution as amended; Councilor Conant opposed the final motion.
Belknap Mill board members described foundation damage and needed repairs beneath the more-than-200-year-old structure and said the nonprofit covers utilities for Rotary Park. "The Belknap Mill is a nonprofit who received an L-Chip grant but they are seeking help with the matching funds they need to come up with," said Laura LeMien, chair of the Belknap Mill Board of Directors. Mill representatives said they had raised roughly $38,000 and were seeking $20,000 from the city and planned additional fundraising for the remainder.
Council debate focused on whether the Health Insurance Stabilization Reserve — a fund intended to stabilize future insurance costs — was an appropriate source for nonprofit capital repairs. "This is tax payer money and he agrees the building is a beautiful building, but he doesn’t think the money should be given to a nonprofit," said Councilor Conant during discussion opposing use of the funds. Other councilors said delaying repairs could increase costs or leave an important historic asset at risk.
Councilor Soucy moved an amendment making the $20,000 payable only after the Belknap Mill met specified fundraising targets; that amendment passed and the remainder ($66,316) was deposited into the Health Insurance Stabilization Reserve. The council recorded the vote on the amended resolution as five in favor, one opposed.
